This ninja in Naruto is unscientific

Chapter 253 The Research Institute's Outrageous Demands

Dean's Office.

"Knock knock knock".

Nishikawa Tetsu, holding a thick stack of budget application forms, knocked on the door.

This is one of his duties as the Vice Minister of Finance—to conduct friendly negotiations with Konoha's biggest money-devourer.

Orochimaru spends very little time in his office, mostly in the laboratory, so he was quite surprised when Nishikawa Tetsu learned of this from Hiruko.

"Come in." Orochimaru's hoarse voice came from inside the door.

Nishikawa Tetsu pushed open the door and entered, expecting to see Orochimaru flipping through documents or drinking tea. Instead, he found the dean carefully cutting off a piece of white tissue and placing it in a petri dish while hunched over a high-precision instrument.

"Hmm? Dean Orochimaru?"

Nishikawa Tetsuya paused for a moment, then quickly walked to the lab bench, looking at the familiar white chunk of flesh in the petri dish, his eyes twitching slightly.

"Isn't this White Zetsu's cell tissue? I remember a few days ago, that live sample that was used as bait was swept away by Black Zetsu along with the culture medium, wasn't it?"

"Could it be... that it came back to deliver your takeout again?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru didn't look up, continuing to add reagents to the tissue with the dropper, letting out a signature low laugh.

"Che-jun, you don't really think I would put all those precious experimental materials into one basket at once, do you?"

Orochimaru straightened up, his golden vertical pupils flashing with the shrewdness of a businessman and the rigor of a scientist.

"Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone me. The one that was stolen was indeed the largest and most complete sample; it was there to increase the realism of the bait."

"But on the very first day it was delivered, I secretly divided it into three core cell groups and hid them in deep sealed cabinets in different areas of the research institute."

"Even if that White Zetsu blows up my core laboratory, as long as Konoha still exists, my research will not be interrupted."

Orochimaru picked up the petri dish, his eyes filled with fascination.

"Moreover, the preliminary research data it took away was one that I had deliberately selected. The core culture medium formula and the algorithm for eliminating rejection reactions were all in my head. What it stole was just a pile of waste paper."

Nishikawa Tetsu looked at Orochimaru's composed and strategic demeanor and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"When it comes to scheming, White Zetsu is like a green recruit fresh out of ninja academy compared to you."

"You flatter me, Che-jun."

Orochimaru put down the petri dish, took off his gloves, and sat down at his desk.

"Alright, let's not talk about that comatose patient anymore. Deputy Minister, you came to see me today about this quarter's funding, right?"

"The dean understands me best."

Nishikawa Tetsu immediately assumed the role of vice minister, spreading the application form on the table.

"Although our business in the capital of the Land of Fire and in various countries is thriving, with technology licensing, patent fees, profit sharing and so on, we have accumulated a considerable amount of capital."

"But, Dean Orochimaru, look at those labs down there, their budget requests this quarter...aren't they a bit too much?"

Nishikawa Tetsu pointed to the long string of zeros in the last column of the form, no wonder Minister Koharu herself didn't come to talk.

"Let's start with Hiruko-senpai in Building C. I won't even mention the composite ninjutsu high-pressure collider he applied for, but why is there also a top-tier renovation fee for the explosion-proof laboratory? He blew up the basement three times in one month?"

When Hiruko was mentioned, Orochimaru rubbed his temples with a hint of helplessness, revealing a rare expression of headache.

"That guy has recently been trying to deeply fuse the three chakra nature transformations of Lightning Release, Wind Release, and Fire Release, attempting to develop a 'pseudo-bloodline elimination' that surpasses bloodline limits."

"It's theoretically possible, but his control over chakra is still lacking."

"Every time we get to the critical point and lose control, we can only rely on bomb suits and barriers to hold on. We have to approve this repair fee, otherwise he might blow up the load-bearing wall of Building C next time."

"Fine, consider it a work injury."

Nishikawa Tetsu sighed, wrote his approval with a flourish, and then pointed to the next line.

"What about Sasori? Three tons of ultra-high purity deep-sea pressure-resistant chakra-conducting metal? What does he need so much pressure-resistant metal for? To build a submarine? Besides, this stuff is ridiculously expensive, and it's a specialty of the Land of Water; you can't buy it on the market right now!"

When Orochimaru heard Sasori's name, his interest visibly increased.

"Scorpion... his recent progress has been astonishing. He's researching how to seamlessly connect living neurons to mechanical puppets. To test the stability of neurons in extreme environments, he needs to build a test chamber that simulates the ultra-high pressure of the deep sea."

"Moreover, he complained to me that the materials he was given before were prone to metal fatigue when subjected to high-frequency chakra pulses, which affected his art, so he wanted this top-grade material."

Orochimaru smiled and said, "Che-kun, geniuses are always picky. Since he can bring us the most cutting-edge mechanical technology, it's worthwhile to satisfy his small material requirements."

"Is this what you call a tiny request?"

Nishikawa Tetsu rolled his eyes. "How much will it cost for these three tons of metal?"

Despite complaining, Nishikawa Tetsu still signed Sasori's application form.

"Alright, I've approved all the major ones. So, what's this one?"

"Ten advanced bioactivity simulation chambers, funding for the development of a full-band radar for unknown life forms... and this is just for the biological team!"

"And the funding for Yang Release chakra research is also an astronomical figure."

Nishikawa Toru himself is a researcher by profession, not to mention he is the vice president of the research institute.

He knew perfectly well what all the research institutes were researching, and it was really going too far to try to fool Minister Xiaochun like this.

Orochimaru picked up the cold tea on the table, took a sip, and looked calm, even a little self-righteous.

"Che-jun, scientific progress requires money. Think about it, without the cell enhancer I developed, would your small frame have been able to withstand the recoil of the electromagnetic cannon? Without the neural connection technology I provided, would Scorpion have been able to obediently build prosthetics in the basement?"

Orochimaru leaned forward, his voice filled with seductive power:

"This investment has given Konoha an absolute lead in biotechnology and military equipment. Compared to the fewer ninja we lose on the battlefield, what is this amount of money?"

"I understand the logic, but even a landlord can't do this."

Nishikawa Toru sighed helplessly. He was well aware of the value of this research. But his current role was to manage the money, and he had to maintain a healthy cash flow.

In the past, I would review the budget myself and then go to the village to plead for it. Now, since I am also the Vice Minister of Finance, I have to avoid any appearance of impropriety, so I handed the job over to the Dean.

But to everyone's surprise, Orochimaru's budget approval was far too lenient; he approved whatever budget his subordinates requested.

The research institute can now fully support its research through dividends alone. The village's budget allocation is essentially a windfall, but the village cannot refuse to provide it, since the village's finances share the profits generated by the products developed by the research institute.

"Alright then, Dean Orochimaru."

Nishikawa Tetsu took out a pen and drew a few lines on the budget sheet.

"I'll approve five biological chambers for you, and I'll approve half of the metal materials first."

Orochimaru frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the budget cut, but he also knew Nishikawa Tetsu's difficulties and that he had indeed gone too far; this was already the maximum amount he could negotiate.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now," Orochimaru conceded.

Nishikawa Tetsu put away the documents, stretched, and leaned back in his chair.

"Speaking of which, what has Lady Tsunade been up to lately? I haven't seen her in Building A these past few days. She hasn't even submitted an application for increased research funding?"

"Tsunade?"

Orochimaru picked up his teacup, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"Her research on reversing the side effects of the Eight Gates Formation seems to have reached a crucial stage."

"She and her research team are developing an active agent that can simultaneously open the Eight Gates and promote cell self-repair."

Orochimaru shook his head: "That kind of technique that forcibly breaks through the limits of the human body's meridians is taboo. Seeking rebirth from destruction is even more difficult than my software modification. I've been eating and sleeping in the lab for the past few days, and haven't even had a drink."

"She doesn't even drink anymore?!" Nishikawa Tetsu was shocked. "No wonder I haven't seen her for so many days since I came back, and I didn't see her when I went to the Senju clan's territory either."

This is even more unbelievable than hearing Orochimaru say he wanted to protect Konoha. It seems that Might Guy, who risked his life for his comrades, really touched Tsunade deeply.

"yes."

Orochimaru sighed, "But this is a good thing, at least she's not bothering me anymore."

"Konoha's scientific community is truly vibrant."

Nishikawa Tetsu stood up and looked out the window at the researchers busily moving between the different floors.

Although the budget was being spent quickly, he felt quite satisfied as the "big spender" as he watched these sparks, representing the highest level of technology in the ninja world, burst forth before his eyes.

"Alright, Dean Orochimaru, you can continue your research on White Zetsu. I need to go and report to Koharu."

"Take care, Che-kun."